On April 11, Bow enjoyed the nice weather. He went outside and gave his swing in the outer pen some use.
As the grass has started to grow, I was also out there mowing with my trusty reel mower.
After I finish mowing, the grass does not seem particularly well mown to the average person, but believe me, if I did not mow, it would get impossibly unmanageable.
After mowing, I relaxed a little by the pen, too. And then it was time for lunch. After lunch, I usually take a walk. But as I went out the door, I noticed that we had intruders on the property.
A big red truck was blocking my driveway in as spot I never even allow honored guests to occupy. Its motor was running, and it was very loud, but there was no one in the vehicle. I went all round the truck, trying to figure out why it was there, and where the people were who came in it.
Eventually I located them by the power pole, where they were attempting -- unsuccessfully, I might add -- to change the meter.
The process too a very long time, and we could hear Bow inside vocalizing in frustration. When I checked later, I saw that he had made a mess. However, at the time I felt it was best for me to stand guard over the intruders and to see them safely off when they were down.
I was polite, but I did let them know that the next time they need to work on my property, they should notify me that they are coming. This is, after all, a rural property. I could have had a guard dog loose or I could have been engaged in target practice, and there are any number of hazardous activities they might have stumbled upon that would have been dangerous to them. They can't just assume that it is all right to come here without first giving notice.
I am grateful for the electricity, and I understand that the power company needs access to the meter, but I think there is still some expectation of privacy even when there is an electric pole on my property. If I ever built that island for Bow, I would need to know that power company people would not wander onto the property without permission. Bow is very good natured, but he wants to know who is coming over and when.
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I love that you have a push reel mower, Aya! Great exercise! Too bad your relaxation was ruined by the intruders. We've had the same problem here with the electric company. They showed up one day and thankfully, my husband saw them before they 'unplugged' us to change the meter. As you know, I work from home and was right in the middle of a conference call. Bob talked with them and told them they could schedule a time to come back, when I was not working. So, after much grumbling, they reluctantly asked if they could come back after 4 PM and we obliged. It's really rude and invasive. I know it's "their" equipment, but still, it's MY property. I'm sure it's even more unsettling for you and your situation. These types of intrusions put everyone at some kind of risk - small or large, doesn't matter.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kathy. Your experience with this same scenario validates my position on this intrusion. Sometimes I wonder whether, because of my odd circumstances, my take on everything is completely idiosyncratic. Glad to know others feel the same!
DeleteNo, it's not just you. Bob is so attuned to our privacy here that he can even detect different 'tracks' in our driveway when we've been gone.
ReplyDeleteI'm very worried that every type of privacy is dying a slow death.